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The restaurant at 70 Buckwalter Road in Royersford made the announcement in a Facebook post last Wednesday, Feb. 22.
"We want to provide a comfortable and safe environment for our guests and our staff, and also to protect our building," store management wrote. "Therefore, we cannot allow this to continue. As a result, to dine in our restaurant, anyone under the age of 16 is required to be accompanied by an adult."
Management added that customers younger than 16 who are unaccompanied may take their food to go.
The lengthy social media post describes alleged behavior by teen guests that prompted the new policy. Chick-Fil-A claimed young diners were speaking loudly and swearing, throwing food, leaving trash behind, and mocking or ignoring staff who asked them to behave.
Teens would also cause safety issues by walking in the drive-through lines, they said.
"To those unaccompanied children and teens that have visited us and acted appropriately, we thank you," store management wrote. "But we also apologize. Due to the numerous extreme behaviors of many of your peers, we must make a blanket rule covering anyone under the age of 16."
The Royersford restaurant said the teens are often dropped off for hours at a time on weekends to visit a local bounce park, and that many walk over to the Chick-Fil-A for a snack.
"Parents, we are not blaming you. Children and teens are learning to navigate the world free from supervision and often push the boundaries," they explained. "We simply can’t let them push those boundaries anymore at our restaurant."
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